Chapter 239: Ninth Princess
The Princess Consort Chu stayed in Wen Mingqian’s room for half an hour before going to pay respects to the Empress.
She left the palace before noon.
She and Prince Chu had come together, so they naturally had to leave together.
However, when she was leaving the palace, Prince Chu had not yet come out, so the Princess Consort sat in the horse carriage to wait.
After about another incense stick’s worth of time, the Prince came out.
“Is Your Majesty not busy today?” the Princess Consort asked with a smile after Prince Chu got into the carriage, “Why did you keep the Prince for so long?”
“Tutor Zhuge was also here, and he spoke about the articles written by the two heirs apparent this morning. His Majesty was very interested and spoke for a few more sentences,” Prince Chu said, loosening his sash slightly. “It made me a little uneasy.”
The Princess Consort Chu couldn’t help but become nervous upon hearing this: “What? Was Bai’er’s article not good? Did it displease His Majesty?”
“It wasn’t that he wrote poorly, but that he wrote very well,” Prince Chu sighed. “At the time, Tutor Zhuge said that ‘the bright moon in early autumn could hardly conceal its brilliance’ to describe him.”
“This… Your Highness means… Bai’er’s brilliance overshadowed Prince Zhao’s Heir Apparent?” the Princess Consort asked tentatively.
“Alas, yes! We always said we would just be supporting characters, the green leaves. The Empress’s favored one is naturally Prince Zhao’s Heir Apparent. Whoever the Empress favors, the Grand Tutor favors. Whoever the Grand Tutor favors, all the officials in the court favor…” Prince Chu trailed off at the end.
But the Princess Consort naturally understood his meaning completely.
She couldn’t help but worry: “Then didn’t you remind him? Tell him to hold back in the future and not steal the spotlight.”
“I naturally said so, but he told me he had already restrained himself,” Prince Chu murmured, shaking his head. “He’s still a child and doesn’t know the gravity of things.”
“Then… then no one else knows about this, right? At least Prince Zhao’s Heir Apparent shouldn’t know, right?” the Princess Consort asked.
“I suppose so! Let’s hope so.” Prince Chu wasn’t entirely sure.
“Alas, but speaking of which, our Bai’er is indeed more intelligent than Prince Zhao’s Heir Apparent,” the Princess Consort said with pity. “It’s just a shame…”
What followed was a long silence, and neither of them spoke again.
In the afternoon, Gong Changan was playing kick ball on the path and kicked the ball into Consort Yun’s palace.
Consort Yun rarely left the palace, and people said she was ill and not to be exposed to the wind.
Her rank was not low, but she did not have many people serving her, so her courtyard was desolate and quiet.
Gong Changan entered through the side door to look for the ball and was stopped by a senior palace maid.
“Who are you? How did you get here?” The maid’s tone was quite gentle, without any harshness.
Firstly, Gong Changan was just a child, and secondly, she had a general idea of who he was.
“This elder sister is so kind. My name is Gong Changan. I accidentally kicked the ball in. Please forgive me,” Gong Changan said, giving a formal bow.
The maid was amused by him, covering her mouth with a handkerchief and laughing twice before saying, “So you are that little prodigy. I’ve heard people talk about you, but I’m only meeting you today.”
“I dare not, I dare not. I am no prodigy. These are all flattering words from outsiders and should not be taken seriously,” Gong Changan was best at acting, and his humble demeanor was natural.
“Oh my, you are truly interesting,” the maid did not let him look for the ball but instead kept teasing him, “How old are you? You’re not even ten yet, are you?”
“Qiu Xing, who are you talking to?” a girl of twelve or thirteen years old emerged from under a mu xiang flower trellis, supporting a little palace maid.
“Ninth Princess,” Qiu Xing quickly turned around to bow. “Young Master Changan kicked the ball into our courtyard. I was just teasing him and talking to him.”
“This child pays his respects to the Ninth Princess,” Gong Changan also bowed to the Ninth Princess.
The Ninth Princess was Consort Yun’s biological daughter. Because her mother rarely left the palace, she spent most of her time accompanying her mother.
Although she went out to pay respects to the Emperor and Empress, Gong Changan had never met her in the more than a month he had been in the palace.
“Qiu Xing, you are truly a bit rude. You must know that Young Master Gong is considered a distinguished guest of His Majesty. Do not slight him just because he is young,” although the Ninth Princess was not old, she was very steady and dignified.
It seemed that although there were not many servants in the palace, everything looked orderly and not at all dilapidated or messy, likely due to her efforts.
“Your Highness praises me too highly. I am merely following my Master to earn a living,” Gong Changan scratched his head and laughed. “I wonder if my ball has damaged the plants in the courtyard?”
At this moment, a little eunuch had already found Gong Changan’s ball and brought it over.
“It’s alright, you can take your ball back,” the Ninth Princess smiled at Gong Changan. “I won’t keep you any longer.”
This place was not suitable for keeping guests. Those who came here would also be implicated if they were not favored by the Empress.
Gong Changan took his ball and left. Upon returning, he said to Wen Mingqian, “Mother, I went to Consort Yun’s palace today. Although I didn’t see her, I saw the Ninth Princess.”
“Ah, the Ninth Princess. I’ve only seen her twice since I came to the palace,” Wen Mingqian put down the needlework in her hands. “Zhang Ma mentioned that the Ninth Princess is three years older than you and likes to visit Elder Sister Shen’s palace. I wonder if she still remembers Elder Sister Shen now? Perhaps it’s all a blur.”
“I felt a sense of closeness when I saw the Ninth Princess today,” Gong Changan said. “There was a faint sadness between her eyebrows, something that shouldn’t be on someone her age.”
“Her sadness naturally stems from Consort Yun. After all, as a princess, she will be able to leave this palace once she is married. But Consort Yun has to spend her entire life in the palace. Although she hasn’t been banished to the cold palace, her situation is not much better,” Wen Mingqian said. “It’s not just her; aren’t you also carrying a heavy burden at such a young age?”
Gong Changan blinked upon hearing this: “What can be done? It’s fate, and we can’t help it.”
His tone carried a hint of jest. This child had never been one to wallow in self-pity since he was young.
“In this palace, Consort Yun should be someone we can trust. It’s just a pity we can never see her,” Wen Mingqian sighed softly.
“King of Fenye and his party are arriving in the Capital soon, aren’t they?” Gong Changan asked. “When Princess Duanmin enters the palace, perhaps she can bring Consort Yun out.”
“Yes!” Wen Mingqian nodded. “When the Princess returns, the Empress will naturally give her face. At that time, Consort Yun can also stop pretending to be ill.”
It was as if their words had been heard. Just one day later, King of Fenye and Princess Duanmin arrived in the Capital City.
Preparations for the welcoming ceremony had long been made throughout the Capital City, and everything was proceeding according to plan.
The palace suddenly became lively. People were up before dawn in all the various quarters.
Gong Changan was also arranged to go and welcome them, along with Tutor Zhuge.
King of Fenye did not bring many people. Besides himself and the Princess, he also brought a son and a daughter.
Gong Changan saw the burly King of Fenye in the crowd, holding a son and a daughter by his left and right hands respectively. His son was broad-shouldered and strong, almost as tall as him.
The daughter was clearly younger and had a healthy complexion and well-proportioned features.
Yet, these two people looked so familiar. Gong Changan rubbed his eyes hard.
